Introduction

You love playing with your German Shepherd puppy. The little cutie runs around, nipping at your heels and pulling on the leg of your pants. You just can't resist his little face and let him nibble on your fingers too. Six months later, your little puppy has grown and a nip from him is not so cute anymore.

Defining Tasks

Training your German Shepherd puppy not to bite is a crucial part of raising a well-mannered dog. German Shepherds have very strong hunting drives. Since this breed has been used historically as herding dogs, chasing and nipping to gather moving animal is pre-programmed into your puppy's genes. While he may not understand why he nips and bites, he is driven to do so. However, German Shepherds are also eager to please. Within a few weeks of consistent training with your puppy, you can show him when biting is acceptable and when he should keep his teeth to himself.

Getting Started

An important part of teaching this behavior is not to expect your puppy to stop biting altogether. Instead, you should invest in some good alternative toys. Your puppy may prefer stuffed toys, pull ropes, or rubber toys, like Kongs. Find something well-suited for the age of your puppy, especially if he is still teething. You should also use some form of reward, such as training treats, or clicker training to reinforce the behavior you want from your puppy.

The Play Method

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Step

1

Get your puppy used to being touched

Some puppies bite because they see a human hand moving towards them as a threat. One way to stop your puppy from biting is by getting him used to being touched by human hands.

Step

2

Build a bridge

Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you. Gather some treats and your clicker (if you are doing clicker training). Start with your puppy on one side of your legs.

Step

3

Throw a treat

Toss a treat over your legs to the opposite side as your German Shepherd puppy so he has to walk over your legs to get it. As he crosses over your legs, gently touch his side. Click the clicker right before he gets the treat.

Step

4

Repeat going the opposite way

Get your puppy's attention again and toss the treat to the other side. Gently touch your pup's side again as he passes over your legs. If he nips at you, don't let him get the treat.

Step

5

Raise the criteria

As your puppy becomes comfortable with the touch, you can increase the level and frequency of touch required to earn the treat. Try touching his neck or tail. If at any point your puppy nips at you, go back to the previous level of touch and try again. Eventually, your German Shepherd puppy will become used to the touch and stop biting.

Recommend training method?

The Dog Language Method

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Step

1

Speak your puppy's language

Dogs have a language all their own. By learning how to speak the same language as your German Shepherd puppy, you can better communicate what you do and do not want from him. For biting, you can mimic that puppies have with each other in litters.

Step

2

Play with your puppy

Start a game with your puppy by encouraging him to chase your hands or a toy. Your puppy will likely try to nip or bite your fingers or hand.

Move away from your puppy and stop playing for at least 30 seconds or so.

Step

5

Be consistent

Anytime you are playing with your puppy, repeat the same actions by saying "ouch" and stopping the game. Over time, your puppy will associate biting with the game ending and will learn not to bite.

Recommend training method?

The Scruff Method

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Step

1

Take advice from Mama

When puppies are young, they learn how to behave from their moms. If a puppy acts up around his mom, she will grab him by the scruff of the neck to make him calm down and recognize that he did a bad thing. You can use this same technique to teach your German Shepherd puppy not to bite.

Step

2

Encourage your puppy to play

Start a game with your puppy. You want to encourage him to play with a toy right off the bat, rather than give him your hand to chew on. He will likely still nip at your hand at some point though.

Step

3

Grab the scruff

If your puppy bites you, say "no" right away in a calm but stern voice. Then, place your hand on the back of your puppy's neck and gently pinch. Your pup should instinctively go limp.

Step

4

Start again

Start playing again and repeat the same behavior if your puppy bites. Over time, your puppy will associate biting with the pinch and recognize that biting is not a good thing.

Step

5

No teeth on me

As your puppy gets the hang of not biting, say "no" anytime you feel his teeth on you. You want to encourage others who associate with your puppy. This consistency explains to your German Shepherd puppy that teeth shouldn't touch humans and encourages him only bite toys.

Recommend training method?

Success Stories and Training Questions

Training Questions and Answers

Question

flash

German Shepherd

15 Weeks

0 found helpful

Question

0 found helpful

flash

German Shepherd

15 Weeks

when i correct him for biting he only gets aressive and bites more i tried to use three technics on him one was to rap my hands around his mouth 2 was to put my thumb under his tung and put pressure three was to pinch his neck everey time he bites. all made him more agressive if it is a gentle way he wont even listen.

1 week, 1 day ago

Flash's Owner

Caitlin Crittenden

Dog Trainer

114Dog owners recommended

Hello David,
Some German Shepherd's have a strong defense drive, meaning that when they feel threatened or pressured their natural response is to push back even more, rather than back off. Some puppies also just think it's a rough-housing game when you correct them at first.
For flash I suggest using the "Bite Inhibition" method combined with the "Leave It" method from the article that I have linked below. These two methods will be more intellectual based, which might be a better fit for his temperament. They will also help him understand what you expect him to do, so that he can comply rather than push back when he just feels threatened.
Start teaching both methods, using the "Bite Inhibition" method now, while you work on teaching him the "Leave It" command from the "Leave it" method, since it will take a little while for him to get good at "Leave It", to where you can use just that to eradicate the biting completely. Before he reaches five months of age you want him to stop biting completely using "Leave It" because at five months puppies develop stronger jaws. Reward him for self-control and stopping when you tell him to when you use "Leave It" in real life after he knows it.
https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite
Also, be aware that mouthing is still normal at this age. Most puppies cannot learn to stop mouthing right away. It is a gradual skill that they learn. The most important thing to teach a young puppy before five months of age is how to control how much pressure he uses when he does use his mouth. That skill can determine how severe a bite is one day if he ever bites as an adult. All dogs are capable of biting. If your dog ever gets scared, injured, or surprised when he is asleep, then he may bite even though he is extremely well behaved and friendly in general. How well a puppy learned to control the pressure of his mouth while young will effect whether that bite barely leaves a red mark and sends someone to the hospital.
Learning pressure control during the mouthing period is extremely important. The "Bite Inhibition method" and playing with other young puppies under the supervision of someone who knows how to moderate their play to keep one of the puppies from being bullied, is how puppies learn this normally.
Best of luck training,
Caitlin Crittenden